Professor Bischof named director of University's Institute for Engineering in Medicine

Bischof previously served as IEM’s interim director

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/30/2018) — Distinguished McKnight University Professor John Bischof has been appointed for a three-year term as director of the University of Minnesota Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM). He has served as interim director during the past year.

As director of IEM, Bischof will report to both the University of Minnesota Dean of the Medical School and the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering and will be responsible for administering IEM programs including fellowships, educational programs, visitorships, and research programs. He will strengthen interdisciplinary academic programming across disciplines and enhance the research portfolio. Bischof will also work to grow relationships with business and industry as well as partner with colleges across the University to increase educational activities to students. As director, Bischof will also hold the Medtronic Bakken Chair, concurrent with the role of director.

Bischof has been a faculty member in both the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering since the 1990s. He previously served as associate director of IEM from 2007-2009 and 2013-2017 and has served the last year as interim director. He has been a member of the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota since 2006. Bischof currently holds the Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer Chair in Mechanical Engineering.

Bischof is a renowned researcher in thermal bioengineering having contributed to applications in therapeutics, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics. More recently, Bischof received international attention for his research in the area of nanomedicine focusing on biodistribution and heating properties of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles for cryopreservation of zebrafish embryos and tissues for transplantation.  He has also founded a start-up company in the diagnostics area.

Bischof holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s degree in bioengineering from University of California at San Francisco and University of California at Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He completed his postdoctoral work at the Center for Engineering in Medicine at Harvard University.

Established in 2007, IEM is an interdisciplinary research organization within the University’s Medical School and College of Science and Engineering that strengthens collaborative efforts between engineering and biomedicine while fostering collaborations with the medical device industry. The membership of IEM consists of more than 270 University faculty who represent more than 60 academic departments and divisions. These members are tackling challenges in cardiovascular engineering, neuroengineering, cellular and molecular bioengineering, medical and biological imaging, and medical devices.

For more information on IEM research and its members, visit the IEM website.

If you or your company would like to support research at the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, visit the IEM Development Fund web page.